Twelfth Night: A Critical Reader

Description

Twelfth Night is the most mature and fully developed of Shakespeare's comedies and, as well as being one of his most popular plays, represents a crucial moment in the development of his art. Assembled by leading scholars, this guide provides a comprehensive survey of major issues in the contemporary study of the play. Throughout the book chapters explore such issues as the play's critical reception from John Manningham's account of one of its first performances to major current comentators like Stephen Greenblatt; the performance history of the play, from Shakespeare's day to the present and key themes in current scholarship, from issues of gender and sexuality to the study of comedy and song. Twelfth Night: A Critical Guide also includes a complete guide to resources available on the play - including critical editions, online resources and an annotated bibliography - and how they might be used to aid both the teaching and study of Shakespeare's enduring comedy.

Alison Findlay is Professor of Renaissance Drama at the Department of English and Creative Writing, University of Lancaster, UK. Liz Oakley-Brown is Senior Lecturer in Shakespeare and Renaissance Writing at the Department of English and Creative Writing, University of Lancaster, UK.

A teacher will find this little book, which brings together old and new thinking about Shakespeare's 'most perfect comedy', a godsend ... the multifarious productions and the disagreements among experts so eloquently canvassed in this collection testify to Twelfth Night's continuing inspirational vitality into the twenty-first century. -- Cheryl Taylor, Griffith University * Parergon - Journal of the Australian and New Zealand Association for Medieval and Early Modern Studies, volume 31.2 *